Referee Ghislain Hebert has retired from the National Hockey League after 1,005 games… but he’s not quite ready to hang up his whistle.
Hebert took the ice for hit final match on Sunday, April 6, working alongside fellow referee Frederick L’Ecuyer and lineys Brian Pancich and Bevan Mills for a 4-0 Ottawa Senators win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
He made his NHL debut on February 3, 2009, working a game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders alongside referee Paul Devorski and linesmen Brian Murphy and Pierre Racicot.
The 16-year veteran reached the 1000-game milestone in Ottawa during his final season, working Senators vs. Rangers with an all-Maritimes hand-picked crew of ref Jean Hebert with linesmen Matt MacPherson and Jesse Marquis.
Though the two Heberts are close, they’re not related.
“Myself and Jean are very good friends going all the way back from our early days,” Ghislain said.
The veteran official would take the ice for his final appearance only five games later, again in Ottawa.
“Being at ice level with the best hockey players in the world is an incredible privilege,” he said. “Officiating gave me the opportunity to travel the world and share unbelievable experiences.”
Hebert’s not done yet, though. While his NHL career may have come to a close, he’s jumped across the pond to continue in stripes for Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The veteran official made his league debut on September 12, handling Cologne vs. Munich.
All the best to referee Ghislain Hebert in his retirement from the National Hockey League — and all the best in Germany!
If you happen to speak French, Hebert joined Canada’s FM 106.9 to reflect on his career and his journey to the NHL.
More on Hebert at Scouting the Refs:
